Gender Inequality and Changing Perceptions about Women in India

The mandate for equal rights for men and women is embedded in India’s Constitution. Gender equality is a constituent of development as well an instrument of development. It is a constituent of development as no country can be deemed developed if half its population is severely disadvantaged in terms of basic needs, livelihood options, knowledge access, and political voice. It is an instrument of development because without gender equality other goals of development like poverty alleviation, economic growth and environmental sustainability will not be achieved.

Gender inequalities hinder development. Ignoring gender disparities comes at great cost-to people's well-being and to the country’s abilities to grow in a sustainable manner, to govern effectively. Social hierarchies are embedded in social institutions which are designed to perpetuate them through control over the environment and the socio-economic resources. The gender inequality is manifested by the unequal power relations between women and men. Equality of control enables women to gain improved access to resources. Social equity can enhance livelihood security, productivity and sustainability of all members in building their capacity for their own development.

Equality of participation and control are the necessary pre-requisites towards gender equality. There are many special challenges still faced by the women, but progress has been made when gender equality is viewed over the longer term. Much more can be accomplished, however, when women’s contributions are valued by society as a whole, when they have a more prominent role in decision-making, and when women and men work in partnership to achieve these aims. In this context, the paper attempts to highlight the gender inequalities and identify the recent trends in women’s social and economic development in India. The paper will be based on secondary sources of data.

4 Keywords: Gender Inequality, Changing perceptions, Women in India, Women’s development.